Puck obstructing device for shuffleboard games



Patented Apr. 22, 1952 GBSTRUCTING DEVICE FOR SHUFFLEBOARD GAMES Marcinc P. Woiverton, Chicago, 121., assigncr, by mesne assignments, to Royal Patent Corporation, Chicago, 111., a corporation of iiiinois Application September 16, 1949, Serial No. 116,056

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in a puck obstructing device for shufileboard games.

As such the invention has for its principal object, a simplified and improved arrangement for obstructing the puck in its movement toward target switches whereby such switches are in: capable of being actuated by the puck until the game has been first conditioned for play by a circuit including a coin slide and a score registering device, the score registering device being controlled by such target switches.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the novel combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawings showing the preferred form of construction, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a showingthe location of my improved puck obstructing device with respect to such score panel;

Fig. 3 is a sectional detail view of the invention taken substantially on line 33.showing the obstructing pins of the device disposed in ob- 3 structing position with respect to the play board;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional detail view similar to Fig. 3 and taken substantially on line 44 of Fig. 2, but showing the obstructing pins elevated from obstructing position with respect to the play boa-rd;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional detail view taken substantially on line 55 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary top plan view taken substantially on line 6-6 of Fig. 4.

The shufileboard game with which my inven tion is particularly adaptable is of the cabinet type in which there is a play board it] over which the pucks P are moved by action of the player. This play board is set Within the confines of side walls II and front and end walls 12. Opposite the front wall [2 there extends above the play board 19 a cabinet 13 within which the score registering device (not shown and not constituting any part of the present invention) is arranged.

The play board adjacent and below the cabinet I3 is provided with a plurality of parallelly extending and equally spaced apart slots l4. 0perating in each of these slots I4 and extending Secured to the play board adjacent each of l the slots 14 is a switch 2| each comprising a pair of resilient switch leaves 22 providing confronting contacting heads 23. The switch 25 normally is in open condition and, in such condition, the up per of the switch leaves 2! serves to yieldably retain the switch actuating lever I5 with its puck engaging portion [6 in position to be engaged by a puck.

.When this portion i6 is engaged by the puck P, the lever 15 will pivot downwardly about its support [9 to close the switch 2 i. These switches 2! control the score registering mechanism (not shown) and each time a switch is closed, the value of that switch is designated by illumination on a transparent panel 13' in a manner well known in the art. The mechanism for this illumination is not shown because it forms no part of this present invention.

My improved puck obstructing mechanism will now be briefly described.

In this connection I provide in the cabinet l3 a partition 2 This partition 24 is provided with an elongated opening 25. This opening 25 is closed by a plate 26 of elongated formation. This plate 26 is secured to the partition by connecting elements 25'. This plate 26 provides a plurality of equally spaced apart openings 2'! through which movably project the upper end portions of obstructing pins 28.

Secured to the partition 24 by certain of the connecting elements 25 is a plate 29 of elongated formation and providing along its upper longitudinal edge a horizontal flange 3B and at its lower longitudinal edge a horizontally extending guiding flange 3| extending in a direction opposite to that of the flange 38.

This flange 3! is provided with a plurality of openings 32 in alignment with the opening 21 and through which the lower end portions of'the obstructing pins 28 are movably projected.

A lift bar 33 of elongated formation and substantially channel shaped in cross section is arranged for movement between the plate 26 and flange 3i. Formed in this lift bar are openings 34 in registration with the openings 21 and 3 through which openings 34 the obstructing pins 28 are positioned.

Formed as an integral part of each of the v obstructing pins is a collar 35 which rests upon the lifting bar 33 and prevents the obstructing pins from passing through the openings 34. These collars 35 also serve to provide engagement between the obstructing pins 28 and the lift bar 33 whereby when the lift bar is elevated, the obstructing pins will move therewith.

The obstructing pins arranged at the opposite ends of the lift bar are each embraced by an expansion spring 33 which serves to cushion the lift bar and the bstructing pins when moved from the stated elevated position.

The obstructing pins immediately adjacent the obstructing ipins at the opposite ends of the lift bar are each loosely embraced by a collar 3? which serves to limit the downward movement of the lift bar 33.

The mechanism for elevating the lift bar and consequently the obstructing pins comprises a solenoid 38 supported on the partition '34 by a bracket 38'. The plunger 53 of this solenoid St is normally projected outwardly from the solenoid coil by a spring 40. Such plunger by means of a link ti is pivotally connected to an arm 42. This arm 52 is fixed to a shaft 53 journaled in a bracket 44.

A bracket 45 mounted on the partition 2%, as is the bracket 44, has journaled therein a shaft 46 similar to and extending in parellel relation with respect to the shaft 43. Corresponding end portions of these shafts d3 and 58 are fixed to arms 47. The outer end portions of these arms 41 are pivotally connected as at 48 to a connecting bar 49.

The opposite end portions or this connecting bar 49 are connected by means of slot and pin connection 50 to pins 5! in turn connected as at 60 to the lift bar 33.

As long as the shuiileboard game is not conditioned for play, the obstructing pins will be disposed to obstruct engagement of the puck with the switch actuating levers !5 thereby to prevent the playing of the game to effect a score prior to conditioning the game for play. As long as these obstructing pins are in puck obstructing position the switches 2! can not be closed to effect operation of the scoring device. As soon as the game is conditioned for play the solenoid 38 becomes energized and draws the plunger 39 into the coil of the solenoid against the action of the spring 40. This action of the plunger 39 will effect rotation of the shafts 3 and 45 with the'result that the connecting bar ts will be elevated. The elevation of this bar :9 in turn elevates the lift bar 3-3 and as the obstructing pins are movable with the latter, these obstructing pins will be elevated from obstructing position with respect to the puck P. As a result and as long as these obstructing pins are in the stated elevated position, the puck may be directed into engagement with one of the switch actuating 4 levers l5 whereby to close the switch associated with the latter.

The means for conditioning the shuffle game for play includes among other things, a standard and conventional coin chute C which requires the deposit of a proper coin before the shuffieboard game is conditioned for play.

From the foregoing, it is apparent that I have provided a simplified, effective and improved means for obstructing movement of the puck into engagement with the switch actuating levers whenever the game has not been conditioned for play.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred form of construction for carrying my invention into effect, this is capable of variation and modification without departing from the spirit of the invention. I, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth, but desire to avail myself of such variations and modifications as come within the scope of the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

The combination with a game apparatus in which there are a plurality of normally open switch members and a playing board over which game piece is adapted to be projected toward said sir-itch members, of means providing a plurality of movable obstruction members positioned above said switch members, means above said obstructing members for moving the same from int-o obstructing position with respect to said REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,885,036 Gravatt Oct. 25, 1932 2,048,275 Luse July 21, 1936 2 ,120,440 Kramer June l i, 1938 2,245,020 Thompson June 10, 1941 2,330,771 Williams Sept. 23, 1943 2,565,233 Koci Aug. 21, i

FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 202,679 Germany 1. Oct, 5, 1908 

